McDonald, F. James
F. James McDonald became president and chief operating officer of General Motors on February 1, 1981. He retired on August 31, 1987 after 47 years of service with General Motors.
Francis James McDonald was born on August 3, 1922, in Saginaw, Michigan. He attended St. Andrew's elementary and secondary schools in Saginaw, graduating in 1940. He then entered General Motors Institute (GMI) under the sponsorship of the Saginaw Malleable Iron Division (later Central Foundry Division).
A 1944 graduate of General Motors Institute (GMI), McDonald spent his senior year in the Navy V12 program at Yale University after which he was an engineering officer in the submarine service. After leaving the Navy, he returned to the Saginaw Malleable Iron Plant in Saginaw.
After holding a number of technical and executive positions in Central Foundry, Hydra-matic, Pontiac Motor and Chevrolet Motor divisions, McDonald was named general manager of the Pontiac Motor Division and elected a GM vice president in February 1969. He succeeded John Z. DeLorean in that position.
In October 1972, he was named general manager of the Chevrolet Motor Division, serving in that position until becoming an executive vice president and member of the Board of Directors on December 1, 1974, with responsibility for the Car and Truck, Body and Assembly and Electrical and Mechanical Components groups.
On August 8, 1978, McDonald assumed overall responsibility for the Power Products Group. Effective September 8, 1980, he also was assigned responsibility for the Overseas Group.
McDonald assumed the presidency of General Motors on February 1, 1981 as part of a sweeping change in management that began with the election of Roger B. Smith as chairman of the board a month earlier. As president, he was part of the leadership team that tried to push the company forward during the difficult 1980s. McDonald was heavily involved in labor-management relations during his term as General Motors downsized and restructured its workforce. He believed in cooperation before confrontation and was a strong supporter of the union efforts to improve the quality of work at GM. In fact, a return to quality workmanship was a top priority during McDonald’s presidency.
Sources
General Motors Public Relations Department Press Biography: F. James McDonald (1990)
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